Vapourware Sui Generis + Exanima Early Access

[Primordial Soup Nazi]

Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1473965863/sui-generis
Steam Greenlight: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=106079894

https://www.baremettle.com




https://af.gog.com/game/exanima?as=1649904300

Spoiler

And on the Kickstarter cRPG horizon, a challenger arrives.

Whatcha guys think?

If it were me, I would have given at least a quick object placement pass before releasing these screenies for crowd-funding purposes, but it sounds like their model for a death system should eliminate save-scumming easily enough.

 

[Kraszu]

Animations looks like drunken puppets fighting. There is a disconnect between what the legs, and what the arms do. Walking, and running looks weird as well.

After watching the video I still don't know how the combat will work, what are the controls like?

 

[bminorkey]

Everything notable they say in that page is about the technology, their premise for the RPG is completely generic and thoughtless. They don't want to make an RPG, they want to play around with their (actually quite cool) RPG Maker. The game is going to be bad but maybe they'll make the technology available, so if you like modding you could pledge in the hopes of that.

 

[Ulminati]

Not as long as they're unwilling to promise the modding tools being available to people who buy the game

 

[RK47]

What a generic name.

 

[Commissar Draco]

Looks like Izo Oblivius for me, no tools for modders no jewgold.

 

[agentorange]

"Originally inspired by our belief that we could do almost anything"

Well why didn't they just invent a money making machine that also gives you blowjobs.

 

[Zed]

Am I the only one who feels a little extra reluctant to pledge to British projects?
They all seem so Peter Molyneux'y to me (British game devs that is) -- if not outright scam'y. It's like their project scopes are always so fucking exaggerated. Yeah let's make a MMORPG on Kickstarter funds, hurr hurr hurr.

 

[Overboard]

Read here for some great motivation to back their game.

 

[Primordial Soup Nazi]

Sui Generis update numero uno:

Here's our first update. In response to feedback we thought it important to give people a sense for what kind of world Sui Generis takes place in.

You start the game as apparently just a common villager but someone obviously disagrees, this puts your village in danger and you are exiled. You will be thrown into a hostile world you know nothing about and be forced to fend for yourself. As an unworldly villager you will discover this land and learn of it's history and current affairs, of the primitive people living in awe of a misconceived past. It soon becomes clear that you are no ordinary villager and indeed have some highly exceptional qualities. Dark, ominous events are rapidly transpiring throughout the world, a terrible conclusion beckons on the horizon. You may be the only one with power enough to prevent catastrophe but it all hinges on whether or not you choose to intervene, freedom is king here and there will always be numerous ways to achieve any desired outcome, or fail in the attempt.

You will find yourself in a large open world that you can explore freely. A rich detailed terrain features many interesting locations. A vast sprawling underworld, a source of terror for the people but filled with ancient treasures, tells strange stories of the world's past.

The world features a feudal society dissolving under the pressure of thaumaturges, once benevolent miracle workers who have now turned to dark and cruel activities. Thaumaturges wield great powers, they can manipulate many aspects of the world with their minds. A recent shift in their agenda has led them to cruel experiments and dangerous incursions into the underworld, causing it's dormant threats to stir.

There will be other races besides humans but they will be very much nonhuman, more like creatures or mutants. The demon image and the ogre (we call him porky!) in our videos will hopefully give you some idea of the type of thing we have in mind. These creatures will have their own social structures but ones dramatically different and alien to those of humans. There are no elves, orcs or other common fantasy races (we use ogre as a descriptive term), all creatures are original.

The story unfolds in a hugely dynamic fashion and events will transpire even without your intervention. Your lack of involvement may lead to truly disastrous consequences for the world, the game will not end but the world may become a very inhospitable place. Even if you try your best you may not succeed, the game does not revolve around completing tasks and progressing stages of the plot. Success or failure are of equal value, the aim is to have fun.

There will be a great many unique non player characters in the world, whether they become friends or enemies or are simply indifferent is completely circumstantial. The game is not specifically designed to have a persistent party of companions, though some characters may choose to follow you and may be predisposed toward this role. If they perish they will not return to life, or at least not as they were. Ultimately no character (or creature) is special, all are subject to the same rules and the physical laws of the universe.

The Sui Generis game experience plays hugely on the element of mystery. The idea is that you are thrown into an unfamiliar fantastic world for you to discover. It's history is not understood by it's inhabitants and trying to piece it together will be an important element of the game.

More updates and a new video coming very soon, stay tuned!

Upcoming updates:

• Combat, where will it go?
• Character customisation and advancement
• Items and gear. Lots of it
• And more...

Sweet, another nondescript coming-of-age villager origin story!


They're getting rather defensive in the comments section, too. Between that, the bland screenshots, and the lack of stretch goals, its pretty obvious that nobody on their team knows how to market a product whatsoever. What some of these Kickstarter cRPG goobers (Loot Drop comes to mind, also) need is somebody to screen their project to who is willing to say "are you fucking retarded?" before they take these games to Kickstarter and embarrass themselves.

The more I see, the less hope I have of this game being at all worthwhile. Its a shame, too; it looks like they've got a great engine/worldbuilder, and the no-saves thing definitely appeals to me.

 

[empi]

No you should not pledge


/thread

 

[Excidium]

Not if you value your money.

 

[Stainless Veteran]

No.

 

[Stainless Veteran]

Long-ish answer - their programmer/team lead guy sounds like some weird Molyneux/Blakemore hybrid, only not as crazy and certainly not as amusing. He promises much, he gets defensive even when met with smallest doses of criticism, and seems to think that we should believe that the game would rock because a) he said so; b) he's crazy talented; c) he's big fan of rpg games; d) crazy talented; e) he said so.
[e.g.]

 

[7hm]

Well why didn't they just invent a money making machine that also gives you blowjobs.

Just pimp out your sister.

 

[Psquit]

lol the combat, its like the guy is drunk.

 

[Statik]

Originally inspired by our belief that we could do almost anything, we let our imaginations run free. What would be your idea of the ultimate role-playing experience if you weren't aware of any limits? That's what we've been asking ourselves for many years and Sui Generis is the culmination of our ideas.

You start the game as apparently just a common villager but someone obviously disagrees, this puts your village in danger and you are exiled. You will be thrown into a hostile world you know nothing about and be forced to fend for yourself. As an unworldly villager you will discover this land and learn of it's history and current affairs, of the primitive people living in awe of a misconceived past. It soon becomes clear that you are no ordinary villager and indeed have some highly exceptional qualities. Dark, ominous events are rapidly transpiring throughout the world, a terrible conclusion beckons on the horizon. You may be the only one with power enough to prevent catastrophe

So the culmination of their ideas over many years of letting their imaginations run free and the ultimate role playing experience that knows no limits is generic fantasy plot #21: heroic farmboy is the world's only hope?
:declining:

 

[Overboard]

It can't be a decline if they weren't any good in the first place.

 

[LordDenton]

Goddamit guys. I had 10 pounds pledged for this, but after reading the developer's quotes posted here, I had no choice but to cancel the pledge.

 

[bminorkey]

Here's a quick update in response to some of the opinions that seem to have formed regarding our game. We are simply expressing some of our thoughts here.

Yes, you start the game as an anonymous villager. The whole point here is that you create your own character and write your own story. If you want to play a named hero with a rich background, predefined personality and a clear mission ahead, then you're looking at the wrong game. Personally, we feel completely alienated from such characters.
Yes, your character does turn out to be special. If you weren't special you wouldn't stand a chance. And here comes a spoiler. Rather than providing you with this astounding power to record moments in time and return to them whenever you please (read save/load) so that you may win every battle, eventually, even by pure chance; we thought it better for it to be an element of the story. We don't just brush over this as an every day "respawn" or other mechanic. Also, to quote our project page, "not as vague mythology but actual chains of events leading to the current situation".
Yes, our world is under duress, you won't be picking daisies. As for a looming threat, you may have no idea what it is until it's too late. Nothing is as it seems. There is no evil in our world. There may be lack of scruples, ruthlessness or just genuine oversight, but motives are often complex and valid to those who hold them.
What you should be paying attention to when reading our brief summary of the premise are the "ifs" and "buts". We dislike linear story, we hate linear story, no, we truly despise linear story. If you asked us what is as pleasant as being poked in the eye, we'd have to answer "linear story".
We have not given you a story. We have intentionally lured you into thinking of this as a fairly typical fantasy RPG. Guess what? We don't like those either. We are of a skeptical nature and when faced with the usual fantasy claptrap, much like an inquisitive child, our answer is simply "but why?". There is lots of because in our world. We have taken what appears to be generic fantasy and given it a whole new twist. A lot of effort has gone into this and to reveal it would be to throw it all away. We hold it more dear than the funds we are trying to raise. If by not revealing it we fail in securing your support, then so be it.
We have been asked about character interactions and such. Well, sometimes we want to chat and sometimes we just want to kill stuff. Must be those hormones. Thing is, when the latter mood takes us, and some whining NPC decides to illustrate their sensitive nature to us, the solution is clear: smack 'em in the gob, throw 'em in the river, then perhaps evaluate whether their home looks to be a suitable place to store our booty. If this errant behaviour should upset someone, well, let them come. That, to us, is role playing. What we tend to be presented with in "games with choices" is something like this:
1) Help the distressed peasant now
2) Help the distressed peasant later
3) Help the distressed peasant reluctantly
That is not role playing. We don't know what it is, but we don't like it.
You may encounter characters with sunny dispositions that are not always genuine and heartfelt. You may find yourself trying to divine your interlocutor's true intent, hopefully you are well versed in the arts of subtlety and sarcasm. You may also encounter characters with good or even noble intentions, and yet these intentions may not be in your best interests. Our game will certainly feature moral dilemmas and ambiguities.

Undoubtedly much of what we say sounds familiar and doesn't strike you as original, but perhaps it has at least conveyed something of our ethos. Take home what you will.

Big thanks to everyone who is supporting us.
Much love,
The Bare Mettle team

An epic deconstruction that defies categorization or the greatest hoax since Molyneux? You decide.

 

[Surf Solar]

We have not given you a story. We have intentionally lured you into thinking of this as a fairly typical fantasy RPG.

Such evil masterminds!

 

[Mother Russia]

Stupid retards. Anyhow, their superior and smug attitude aside, the fact that this is real time and not party based should be more than enough to make the average codexian realize this will be utter shit.

 

[Kraszu]

Here's a quick update in response to some of the opinions that seem to have formed regarding our game. We are simply expressing some of our thoughts here.

Yes, you start the game as an anonymous villager. The whole point here is that you create your own character and write your own story. If you want to play a named hero with a rich background, predefined personality and a clear mission ahead, then you're looking at the wrong game. Personally, we feel completely alienated from such characters.
Yes, your character does turn out to be special. If you weren't special you wouldn't stand a chance. And here comes a spoiler. Rather than providing you with this astounding power to record moments in time and return to them whenever you please (read save/load) so that you may win every battle, eventually, even by pure chance; we thought it better for it to be an element of the story. We don't just brush over this as an every day "respawn" or other mechanic. Also, to quote our project page, "not as vague mythology but actual chains of events leading to the current situation".
Yes, our world is under duress, you won't be picking daisies. As for a looming threat, you may have no idea what it is until it's too late. Nothing is as it seems. There is no evil in our world. There may be lack of scruples, ruthlessness or just genuine oversight, but motives are often complex and valid to those who hold them.
What you should be paying attention to when reading our brief summary of the premise are the "ifs" and "buts". We dislike linear story, we hate linear story, no, we truly despise linear story. If you asked us what is as pleasant as being poked in the eye, we'd have to answer "linear story".
We have not given you a story. We have intentionally lured you into thinking of this as a fairly typical fantasy RPG. Guess what? We don't like those either. We are of a skeptical nature and when faced with the usual fantasy claptrap, much like an inquisitive child, our answer is simply "but why?". There is lots of because in our world. We have taken what appears to be generic fantasy and given it a whole new twist. A lot of effort has gone into this and to reveal it would be to throw it all away. We hold it more dear than the funds we are trying to raise. If by not revealing it we fail in securing your support, then so be it.
We have been asked about character interactions and such. Well, sometimes we want to chat and sometimes we just want to kill stuff. Must be those hormones. Thing is, when the latter mood takes us, and some whining NPC decides to illustrate their sensitive nature to us, the solution is clear: smack 'em in the gob, throw 'em in the river, then perhaps evaluate whether their home looks to be a suitable place to store our booty. If this errant behaviour should upset someone, well, let them come. That, to us, is role playing. What we tend to be presented with in "games with choices" is something like this:
1) Help the distressed peasant now
2) Help the distressed peasant later
3) Help the distressed peasant reluctantly
That is not role playing. We don't know what it is, but we don't like it.
You may encounter characters with sunny dispositions that are not always genuine and heartfelt. You may find yourself trying to divine your interlocutor's true intent, hopefully you are well versed in the arts of subtlety and sarcasm. You may also encounter characters with good or even noble intentions, and yet these intentions may not be in your best interests. Our game will certainly feature moral dilemmas and ambiguities.

Undoubtedly much of what we say sounds familiar and doesn't strike you as original, but perhaps it has at least conveyed something of our ethos. Take home what you will.

Big thanks to everyone who is supporting us.
Much love,
The Bare Mettle team

An epic deconstruction that defies categorization or the greatest hoax since Molyneux? You decide.

Maybe he should co operate with Moluneux, and gave description of Sui Generis gameplay as an extra prize of the curiosity game.

 

[Statik]

We have not given you a story. We have intentionally lured you into thinking of this as a fairly typical fantasy RPG.

Given the nature of kickstarter campaigns, though, one would expect them to attempt to lure us into thinking their project is something that's actually worth blindly throwing money at. Something that is not a typical fantasy RPG, for example. I see no reason to get excited for 'yeah you are a magical heroic villager, but this is totally not generic fantasy, we promise, lol you don't understand, there's A TWEEST!', especially when it's coupled with the smug attitude, and seasoned with a subtle touch of butthurt.

 

[Overboard]

Yes, your character does turn out to be special. If you weren't special you wouldn't stand a chance. And here comes a spoiler. Rather than providing you with this astounding power to record moments in time and return to them whenever you please (read save/load) so that you may win every battle, eventually, even by pure chance; we thought it better for it to be an element of the story. We don't just brush over this as an every day "respawn" or other mechanic.

So, your character is special because you know how to operate the quicksave and quickload buttons? I'm so astounded by the very ingenuity of the idea that I think I'll have to lie down now.

There is no evil in our world.

Yes officer I murdered all those people because my parents didn't hug me enough. Fucking retards.